The Ice is Melting in the North:
Statement to the UN Peace Summit by Oren R. Lyons

Oren Lyons, faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation,
and Audrey Shenandoah, Onondaga Nation clanmother, represented Indigenous Peoples
of North America at the UN Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual
Leaders, August 28-31, 2000. The following is taken from Oren Lyons statement
made to that gathering. Prepared for the PNL by NOON (Neighbors of the Onondaga
Nation).*

Leaders of the
World:

Neyuwenha-skanoh [Thank you for being healthy]. I bring you greetings from
the Indigenous peoples of the north and the great Turtle Island, now called
North America. I bring you the most urgent message brought to our annual gathering
of traditional elders and youth by a runner from the north, from Greenland:
The ice is melting in the north. He informed us that some 15 years ago they
noticed trickles of water coming down the sheer face of Glacier Mountain. That
trickle has grown to a roaring river of ice water pouring out of this mountain
into the Atlantic Ocean. He informed us that Glacier Mountain has lost 4,000
feet of ice in these past few years. And the melt continues to accelerate. This
is an alarming message that requires your absolute attention.

Leaders of the
World:
We are a collective voice of indigenous peoples. We have joined this great mission
for peace. We add our presence in support of this great effort for reconciliation
between peoples and nations. We agree that there must be parity and equity between
rich nations and poor nations; between white people and people of color and
rich people and poor people with special attention to women, children and indigenous
peoples. We, in our collective voices, add to this that there must be a reconciliation
between people and the natural world, between nation states and the forests
that sustain us; between corporations and the resources that they mine, the
fish that they catch and the water that they use.

Leaders of the
World:
Indigenous nations and peoples believe in the spiritual powers of the universe.
We believe in the ultimate power and authority of a limitless energy beyond
our comprehension. We believe in the order of the universe. We believe in the
laws of creation and that all life is bound by these same natural laws. We call
this essence the spirit of life. This is what gives the world the energy to
create, procreate and becomes the ponderous and powerful law of regeneration,
the law of the seed. We in our collective voices speak of this to remind you
that spirit and spiritual laws transcend generations. We know because this has
sustained us. Religions and spirituality are vital to survival and moral law.
It is faith that has sustained our human spirit through our darkest hours. It
has sustained our human spirit in crisis, during the times we suffered through
the grinding measures of inexorable persecution that have spanned generations
and continue today. Yet here we are today, adding our voices to this plea for
sanity in leadership and responsibility to the future generations whose faces
are looking up from the Earth, each awaiting their time of life here.

Leaders of the
World:
Peace is dynamic and requires great effort of spirit and mind to attain unity.
Leaders of peace must step forward and take responsibility for a paradigm change
away from current lifestyles and materialistic societies. The human species
has become the most voracious and abusive consumer of Earths resources.
We have tipped the balance of life against our children and we imperil our future
as a species.

Leaders of the
World:
Despite all of our declarations and all of our proclamations, no matter how
profound they may be, the ice is melting in the north. We see the acceleration
of the winds. We see the fires that are raging in North America. And, we see
that the suns rays that provide us with light, energy and the very essence
of life now are causing cancer in people, blinding animals and killing the plankton
and krill of the sea. This is only the beginning and already we are helpless.
We will now see the real spiritual powers that govern the earth.

Leaders of the
World:
There can be no peace as we wage war upon OUR MOTHER, THE EARTH. Responsible
and courageous actions must be taken to realign ourselves with the great laws
of nature. We must meet this crisis now, while we still have time. We offer
these words as common peoples in support of peace, equity, justice and reconciliation.
As we speak, the ice continues to melt in the north.

Dahnato [now I am finished]. Neyawenha [thank you].

*This material, as well as Audrey Shenandoahs statement were originally
included in Neighbor to Neighbor, Nation to Nation, published by NOON in November,
2001 (available from SPC).

Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is a program of the Syracuse Peace
Council focusing on recognition and support for the sovereignty of the traditional
government of the Onondaga Nation. Among our goals is promoting understanding
of and respect for the Onondaga people and culture within the broader Central
New York community.